Page 154 of The Immortal’s Mark

Blood trails from her ears and nose in thin, horrible lines. Her eyes stare up at the ceiling, unseeing.

I choke on a sound that is a mix between a sob and a scream and press shaking fingers to her throat, then her wrist.

Nothing.

No pulse.

Her skin cools rapidly, taking away the warmth of life with every passing second.

Tears roll down my face.

No, no, no.

“Enough of this,” Adir growls. “We’re going to be late.”

A strong forearm bands across my stomach, crushing the air from my lungs as he yanks me back while his other arm locks over my chest and pins my arms tight.

I kick and thrash, fighting his hold like a rabid, cornered animal. “Let me go! Bella! Bella!”

Adir drags me back. I keep Bella’s unmoving form in my sights and continue flailing, desperate to get back to her side.

She can’t be dead.

She just can’t be.

A horrible, thunderous boom crashes through the air. The walls and windows shake. Portraits and knick-knacks crash to the floor.

“Fuck,” Adir curses. He hauls me up, lifting my feet from the floor, and rushes toward the door.

I catch one last glimpse of Bella before I’m yanked into the hall.

I jerk against Adir’s hold to no avail, but I freeze and bare my teeth when I find Faine standing just a few feet away.

“You let him kill her,” I scream. “You are both murderers!”

Faine’s eyes widen before they fly to Adir.

“Do not question me,” he snaps. “She changed her allegiance. We can’t let Thane keep her.”

“That’s not true!” I screech. My blurred vision catches Faine’s pale face.

Adir’s arm tightens, and his other hand slides up and grips my throat. “Silence!”

Then, to Faine, he says, “Get the Elder. Meet me at the altar. We need to get this done.”

Over my dead body.

I start screaming obscenities, threats, kicking and flailing, uncaring of the consequences. I am a woman with nothing left to lose.

There has to be someone in this house who will hear me—who will intervene. There has to be at least someone here with a conscience.

But no one appears.

It’s as if my screams have urged everyone to flee rather than fight.

Another forceful boom rattles the house.

A flash of green and blue light flares through the window, but Adir yanks me past before I can figure out what caused it.